


you make me slip

by paltandsepper



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: ?? - Freeform, Bad Flirting, Fluff, M/M, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Neighbors, this ain't so bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 16:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18392087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paltandsepper/pseuds/paltandsepper
Summary: He still hasn't learned how to control his powers because he always sets it aside and tries not to overthink.All of that simple work for his whole life had suddenly came crashing down when he got a new neighbor that lives across him. (Jongin still doesn't know if he's a blessing in disguise).





	you make me slip

**Author's Note:**

> for prompt 8
> 
> for now, i just wanna thank t for being there and the mods who have worked hard.
> 
> this might not be what the prompter wanted and i strayed away from the original idea but i hope this is still alright o<<

The term teleportation didn't make sense to eight year old Jongin, he only knows about flying and different elements that he learned from watching Avatar, he couldn't even say telekinesis when his sister tried to teach him. No one told him the family secret until he was eleven, at the cusp of puberty, where he dreamt about his mother being in danger— he woke up crying and being cuddled to his parent's chest. Jongin didn't care about how he immediately got to their room or that he's not supposed to be crying like a little kid.  
  
His parents sat him down on the couch and told him that he finally got his power. Jongin tried not to freak out and just cried in his room, he knew he didn't want to live with something that he had to hide. Thirteen years later and living alone, Jongin resorted to drinking sleeping pills to have dreamless nights. The only thing he knew about his power is that it will only activate when he's dreaming about a person or a place that's real.  
  
He still hasn't learned how to control his powers because he always sets it aside and tries not to overthink.  
  
All of that simple work for his whole life had suddenly came crashing down when he got a new neighbor that lives across him.  
  
—  
  
This neighbor pof his came into the form of a sweaty man with a pink clip pushing back his bangs and holding a half dozen of donuts. He seemed exhausted but his smile masks everything and Jongin had never seen such an attractive smile.  
  
“Hi! I'm your new neighbor, Park Chanyeol.”  
  
“O-Oh, I'm Jongin.” he breaks off the staring contest that they were having to open the door fully, “Are you currently moving in?”  
  
“Oh yeah, I still have stuff in the lobby but I didn't want to look like a wet dog when I give this to my neighbor- you.”  
  
“Thank you... do you need any help? I mean, we're on the third floor.”  
  
“I don't want to bother.” Chanyeol chuckles nervously before handing him the box.  
  
“No, it's okay. Really.”  
  
Jongin had to hold back the eagerness in his voice but his offer is also to not make Chanyeol get too tired and look hotter with sweat running down the side of his face. He takes the box to drop it on the table beside his door before gesturing for Chanyeol to lead the way, he follows him to the lobby and hums at the amount of boxes stacked up.  
  
“I'll carry the big ones, don't worry. I have my instruments in them.”  
  
They make a quick work of bringing things upstairs, Jongin still got to take a quick view of Chanyeol lifting up the hem of his shirt and wiping his face. His smile wavers because of his repressed internal screaming when Chanyeol beams up at him, “Thank you a lot, Jongin!”  
  
“It's okay, I'm glad to help.”  
  
“I owe you one.”  
  
“Ah, no. It's fine.”  
  
Chanyeol places a hand over his shoulder, shaking his head, “I must, you can't deny one meal from me.”  
  
Jongin rolls his eyes, now full on grinning, “Okay, okay.”  
  
When he plops down on the couch and takes a bite of one donut, it's sweet as Chanyeol's smile.  
  
—  
  
It's only been a week but Jongin has heard more about Chanyeol than seen him, sometimes when he passes by, either it's the piano or guitar and rarely cajon because he once heard Chanyeol getting a noise complaint. He also became aware of his clothing since Chanyeol once knocked on his door to borrow his scissors, Jongin had been wearing a shirt with lots of tears on them (courtesy of his dogs who chewed and clawed on it) even if Chanyeol seemed to like it yet tease him about it. It didn't help the warm flush on Jongin's cheeks when Chanyeol dared to poke a hole on his chest, he shied away not just because of that but also because Chanyeol's smile is just too bright. Jongin never had that kind of smile directed to him.  
  
Just a harmless crush, Jongin thinks to himself while doodling on the corner of his notebook. It's shit that he picked up sketching because he's outlining Chanyeol's whole face, he groans as he drops his head on the desk. Jongin doesn't bother look back up because he knows he made a loud sound and got a glance from the professor, he wants to be back in bed.  
  
That same day he spots Chanyeol walking out of the flower shop, holding a small bouquet of flowers and a small cactus in another. Jongin decides to walk further away so Chanyeol can't accuse him of stalking which will be far from reality since they really live in the same building. He still hides when Chanyeol stopped at a fruit stand and handed the bouquet to the lady behind it, she perks up and accepts it with a smile. It made Jongin feel a whole lot of things as he made his way to their building, too caught up with the feeling of  his heart sinking to his stomach that he didn't notice Chanyeol sitting on the steps. He jumps at the sight of Chanyeol's hideous shoes, placing hand over his chest, “H-Hey.”  
  
“Hi, just came back from uni?”  
  
“Yeah.” Jongin fidgets under the others' gaze so he decided to joke a little, “You always woo people with flowers?”  
  
Chanyeol cracks a smile at that, “Sometimes. Not to Mrs. Jung though, she just needed a small pick up after her son decided to leave home for a while to have a sleepover with his friend.”  
  
“Oh. Has he come back?”  
  
“Not yet.” he sighs, standing up and patting his backside. “He only left the other day.”  
  
“Hopefully he comes back soon, then.” Jongin feels stupid now, blushing in embarrassment and hiding his face from Chanyeol as he follows him up the stairs. He's going to have to buy some fruit from that lady then.  
  
Before he closes his door, Chanyeol's head pops out from his own, “You like flowers?”  
  
“Um, yes.”  
  
The fluttering on his chest continued even as he's busy reading a book. Though he's broken out of his zone a few hours later with a swift knock on his door, probably someone who's trying to sell something again, Jongin only opens it halfway to peek out and reject the person when he's stumbling back because of the fresh new flowers that's being pushed to his face.  
  
Jongin widens the opening of his door and stares at Chanyeol's grinning face, “What is...”  
  
“You liked flowers and I happened to make dinner tonight.” Chanyeol shakes the flowers a little in front of his face, “You know, the dinner I owe you. I promise this is not me wooing you...?”  
  
He watches in fascination as Chanyeol's face slowly turned slightly hesitant and scared when Jongin continued to stare at him without speaking, he bursts out giggling, hiding his face behind his door. Jongin can be a little evil too.  
  
“Hey! Don't laugh at me. I'm scared because you were just quiet and now you're just ridiculing me.”  
  
Jongin peeks out from his door to see Chanyeol pouting down at the bright flowers, suddenly holding his hand out.  
  
“I'll take the flowers.” he brings it up to his nose to breathe in, “Thank you. I've seen these carnations in my sisters' wedding too.”  
  
“Look, I don't know what Junmyeon gave me but I trust him that this means well? Junmyeon's the employee at the flower shop and he's my friend.”  
  
“I don't know flower meanings too, don't worry.” Jongin smiles up at him, “Let me just take care of these and I'll knock at your door.”  
  
“Okay. Door's open for you.”  
  
Finally, the vase his mother gifted him has a purpose, he never expected it to be filled with flowers though. Jongin hides his face on his hands and whines, Chanyeol is _too_ kind. He changes into some more presentable pants instead of pajamas and fiddled with his hair until he's satisfied that he doesn't look too bad.  
  
Jongin still knocks despite already stepping in, he's a little shocked at how much things Chanyeol has from books, instruments, vinyl, and small pots of plants at the window. His nose led him to the cramped kitchen where Chanyeol's busy stirring something and it smells absolutely delicious that it had Jongin's stomach growling, he let out an embarrassed whine when Chanyeol laughs.  
  
“It'll be done in a second, go sit on the couch. I rarely use the table and my plant is on it.”  
  
Jongin gives the succulent a quick look then proceeds to sink in the couch, watching whatever was playing on Chanyeol's laptop. A bowl of steaming meal replaced the laptop in front of him, he accepts the smaller bowl from Chanyeol while the other returns to the kitchen only to place two more bowls. Jongin's mouth waters at the sight of noodles covered in white sauce, rice, and bulgogi.  
  
They talked while eating, Chanyeol asking about how long has Jongin been staying in the apartment or what his major is and in turn, Jongin learned that Chanyeol's on his last year and trying to climb his way up as a music producer. He's also been producing with his own friend who's also slowly becoming popular from his recent song. Listening to the way how enthusiastic Chanyeol is about music made Jongin think about himself a little, his major was the choice of his parents that he went along with. While dance, he still doesn't know how he really feels about it.  
  
Jongin decided to stay for a little longer after they washed the dishes, watching a movie both of them have never seen before. Then they talked some more about their friends in which Jongin just let Chanyeol talk because he never really had a friend that stuck with him through thick and thin, friends that only last for quite some time are much better to deal with than actual best friends. He narrowly avoided getting asked by Chanyeol as he yawns.  
  
Chanyeol still walks him to his room like the gentleman that he is.  
  
“Thank you, Chanyeol. For the flowers and food.” Jongin leans heavily on his door, twisting the doorknob quietly.  
  
“No problem, I told you I owe you a meal.” Chanyeol grins, “Glad I didn't disappoint.”  
  
“You are a wonderful host.” he can't help but add a lilt to his voice, feeling kind of floaty at the moment.  
  
“The Park family takes pride on it.”  
  
“I still have to prove it's true.”  
  
“You wanna meet my parents already? Oh, how forward you are, sir.” Chanyeol puts a hand over his heart as if shocked, clearly playing with Jongin but he still splutters to make himself clear.  
  
“I-I'm just joking.” he now hides behind the door, glaring a little at a chuckling Chanyeol. “I'm not good with parents either.”  
  
“I don't mind, my family wouldn't mind.” Chanyeol shrugs, slowly backing up. “My family would love a cute and shy boy because I didn't reach the criteria of being shy since I was a baby.”  
  
“What does that even mean...” Jongin mumbles, waving at Chanyeol.  
  
He has 'cute and shy boy' repeating over and over his head until he fell asleep.  
  
—  
  
They rarely see each other since Jongin has early classes and stays a little late at the dance studio where he also meets a newbie Sehun, they're in that awkward phase of friendship where you actually stumble with words and look away mostly. It's fine though, he needs to start communicating more even if his brain tells him to stay away. He sees Chanyeol around nine at night when the latter would also be back by then, they make small talk that escalated to them talking on the steps more rather than inviting themselves inside either's room.  
  
For someone who talks and asks a lot, Chanyeol seemed to know what to not ask Jongin about and he gives 'tips' to Jongin about befriending Sehun. He doesn't take them seriously but does his best to find same interests with Sehun so both of them don't have to feel left out.  
  
Sehun's walls cracked one day when Jongin stumbled on his own feet while exiting the studio. Sehun had choked on his water and joked about how Jongin can't even walk properly despite being a dancer, Jongin insulted back about Sehun's non existent flexibility during their warm ups. They settled things by pushing each other until one of them bumped into someone, like little kids.  
  
Jongin was eating with Chanyeol, chose to tell him about that little achievement, he didn't talk about details and lets Chanyeol recall the horror of having friends in high school. Having someone as kind as Chanyeol is making Jongin finally feel safe after a long time, safer than he had been back in his childhood house, sleeping under his bed with his teddy bears surrounding him.  
  
  
  
One night, Sehun is inviting him for dinner but Chanyeol's name slipped out of Jongin's lips before he can stop himself because, well, Tuesdays are one of the times when Chanyeol's for sure free.  
  
“Oh, who's this Chanyeol?”  
  
“My fr— ah, neighbor. I have dinner with him sometimes.” Jongin looks away because Sehun's scrutinizing eyes are a bit intense and his cheeks are starting to burn.  
  
“Now I'm intrigued. I thought I was your only friend, incoming bestfriend.” Sehun wraps an arm around his shoulders, “You sure you don't want to eat with me instead of your possibly handsome neighbor?”  
  
After a while, Chanyeol's text is what made Jongin come with Sehun because Chanyeol's out with a friend and told Jongin that food is what will make the friendship stronger. He quickly replies back, _is that why you make me eat always whenever i'm with you?_  
  
**Maybe? ;)** **  
****  
*****:)**  
  
Jongin ignores the text but he can't help but smile (ignoring how his heart went whooping when he saw the winky face).  
  
“So, I told you about my barista crush...” Sehun trails off, looking at him with inquiring eyes. “Care to share about your neighbor?”  
  
“Um, he's just really kind and we hang out.”  
  
“That's it? But you blushed earlier.”  
  
Jongin consciously touched his cheek, glaring slightly at Sehun's knowing look.  
  
“Come on, I'm sure you want to talk about him to someone else.”  
  
They had a small staring contest before Jongin sighed, “Fine.”  
  
So Jongin tells Sehun about Chanyeol and his friend immediately calls him a liar because of the exaggeration but Chanyeol is truly handsome, funny, and on top of that, a gentleman. Perfect. The why-are-you-not-taken-yet perfect. He might be knocking things over accidentally sometimes but it's part of his charm. Jongin holds himself back from sighing as he remembers the first time they met, Sehun looks at him over the rim of his cup with a squint in his eyes.  
  
“I would only believe you if I saw a picture of him or met him.”  
  
“I don't have a picture of him.”  
  
“Not even stolen ones?” Jongin reaches out to steal half of the boiled egg but Sehun blocks it with his own chopsticks, “That's okay. Seems like you're already whipped.”  
  
“Am not.” he grumbles, shoving a spoonful of rice in his mouth.  
  
“You need to make a move, Nini.”  
  
“Why would I?” Jongin's eyebrows draw inwards, “And also Nini? Seriously?”  
  
“Because! You sound like you _really_ like him.”  
  
“It's only a small crush, it'll go away.”  
  
Sehun purses his lips, “Except it won't and you'll keep falling for him and die on the inside because you can't kiss his stupid smile, then it'll be too—”  
  
“Stop!” Jongin whines, kicking Sehun's sneakers.  
  
“Just saying.”  
  
“Well don't.”  
  
“Aw Nini, don't pout. I'll help you!”  
  
“I don't want help and I don't want Chanyeol to be uncomfortable.” Jongin sinks lower on his chair, “This is okay. Really.”  
  
“If you need me then, I'll be happy to lend you some techniques.”  
  
“ _Techniques_?” he snorts, “Are you a love expert?”  
  
“I'd like to think so. For your information, I helped two of my friends realized that they're pining over each other and now happily married.”  
  
“I won't probably need your _techniques_ but thank you anyway.”  
  
—  
  
After two months of knowing Chanyeol, Sehun was right, Jongin is falling for Chanyeol harder than he thought he will be. He only realized this when he started to imagine himself being taught how to cook with Chanyeol behind him, holding his hand and stirring a small pot while Chanyeol's other hand on his waist. Jongin almost wailed in the middle of dance class when he thought about kissing Chanyeol, Sehun seemed to notice his red face and asked about it on their break. When he admitted those thoughts, Sehun outright laughed at his face and Jongin isn't even sorry at the pained yelp Sehun gave when Jongin stabbed his fingers under Sehun's ribs. A few minutes was all Sehun needed to recover and tilt Jongin's bottle more while he was drinking, spilling water over his already wet shirt.  
  
Sehun makes him consider confessing to Chanyeol but then what after that? What if Chanyeol doesn't like him back? What if Chanyeol becomes tense around him? What if Chanyeol isn't even interested in men? These thoughts almost made Jongin not fall asleep but the pills help him finally relax.  
  
He dreads the next day, Tuesday, Chanyeol had texted him before he went to class that Jongin can pick what they'll order since Chanyeol won't have time to pick up groceries and cook. Jongin ends up pulling Sehun to his apartment to help him with staying calm while picking clothes.  
  
“With the way you described Chanyeol and how he acts around you, I think it's better to dress down since you're eating in.” Sehun pulls out one of his gray sweatpants that he usually wears in dance.  
  
“I've sweat on there that it smells.”  
  
Sehun takes a tentative sniff and frowns, “Right.”  
  
Jongin tries to control his breathing, formulating sentences for later and telling himself that this is not a date and Chanyeol is just a good friend. All of this happening while Sehun really goes into his closet and pulls out some old black sweatpants with yellow lines on the side and a dark blue hoodie.  
  
“It's good to be simple and I think Chanyeol had seen worse.” Sehun nods to himself while looking at Jongin wearing what he picked.  
  
“Yeah, I had holes in my shirt.”  
  
“Then you don't have to worry about his opinion when you wear a real sack.” Sehun pats his back on their way to the door, “Okay. Don't be nervous, you've talked to Chanyeol a lot of times, yeah? You can either tell him your feelings if you want to.”  
  
“But what if—”  
  
“Nope, don't overthink.”  
  
Jongin deflates when Sehun pulls him in for a hug, it felt nice even if him and Sehun poke on each other a lot.  
  
“Okay, thank you.”  
  
“I've done nothing, just message me afterwards.” Sehun points at him, “Relax.”  
  
  
  
The dinner went well even if Jongin was awkward the first few minutes and if Chanyeol noticed, he definitely ignored it and just talked about how their day had gone. A tub of ice cream is soaking the towel above their thighs, this might be the closest Jongin had ever been with Chanyeol. Warm because of Chanyeol's thigh but cold because of the ice cream resting on both of them, it wasn't unpleasant.  
  
Somehow the chocolate ice cream had gone out sooner than Jongin expected it to be but now he's rubbing his palms on his thigh to warm it up, the chill had gone up to his arms somehow.  
  
“You okay? Was the ice cream too much for the weather?”  
  
“No, no, it's perfect. I just get cold faster sometimes.”  
  
Chanyeol leaves him for a while then comes back with a blanket that he drapes over their laps, “Here.”  
  
“Thank you.” Jongin smiles before stuffing his hands between his thighs, all under the blanket.  
  
The series they were watching was kind of interesting in a way that is pleasing to see how a place turns organized and less messy, Jongin was enraptured and as well as inspired to clean his own closet because he hasn't seen his old hoodie and his other favorite shirts. He tried to help cleaning up but Chanyeol used his finger to push on Jongin's forehead, back to the cushions. It doesn't take too long for Chanyeol to sit back down and Jongin was ready to brief Chanyeol about what he had missed when the latter leans his head on Jongin' shoulder.  
  
He almost stops breathing because he doesn't want to jostle Chanyeol, starts being conscious how deep he's breathing, quietly exhales through his nose. Jongin slouches when Chanyeol lifts his head up for a second to pull the blanket over his chest, they sit close like that until both of them are too sleepy and take turns on yawning.  
  
“We always somehow end up yawning, huh?” Chanyeol groans and stretches beside him, hair ruffled.  
  
“Tired.” Jongin closes his eyes and pulls up the blanket to cover his face.  
  
“Come on, I'll walk you to your door.”  
  
It's Chanyeol's turn to lean against his own doorframe, looking all soft and droopy with his slumped shoulders. Jongin smiles up at him, refrains from reaching out to pat down his hair.  
  
“Thank you, I had fun.”  
  
“No problem. You're gonna buy next time.”  
  
“Sure, what do you want?”  
  
“Ask me tomorrow.” Chanyeol grins, reaching out to ruffle Jongin's hair.  
  
“Okay.” he nods, “See you then.”  
  
Except Jongin stood there dumbly, staring at Chanyeol who's looking at him with drooping eyelids. He lets his eyes trail over Chanyeol's features, long lashes that try to bat away the ends of his hair, soft cheeks, cute nose, and pink lips that has a plump bottom that could probably be as soft as marshmallow. Jongin shivers when Chanyeol's hand cups the side of his neck, rubbing his thumb on Jongin's jaw, the smile that Chanyeol gives to him made Jongin snap back into reality.  
  
“Sorry, I gotta.” He points behind him, flushing.  
  
Chanyeol takes a moment to answer, thumb sweeping over Jongin's cheek before nodding. Jongin wants to pull away because his cheeks might as well be making Chanyeol's hand feel the heat.  
  
“Would you like to go on a date with me?”  
  
Jongin made an inhumane noise, then he took steps back until his back hit his door. Chanyeol tilts his head to the side cutely, looking cutely confused.  
  
“M-Me?” he asks dumbly, pointing at himself.  
  
“Who else is here?” Chanyeol chuckles, “I mean, it's okay if you want to stay the way we are right now.”  
  
Jongin nibbles his lower lip for a few seconds, coming up with a response got harder than before.  
  
“Can I get back on this with you tomorrow?”  
  
“Okay. Good night.”  
  
Jongin jumps on his bed as soon as he closed his doors and thrashes around, biting back his squeals. His whole face feels like it's burning, in delight, in embarrassment of himself. He looks up when his phone vibrated, blinking at chanyeol's name flashing once. It says, 'sweet dreams wake up early tomorrow for uni ok!' and if that doesn't just make Jongin's heart lurch then he's back to suffocating himself on his pillows.  
  
He fell asleep like that, far too quick as if he'd drained his energy by himself.  
  
—  
  
Jongon feels well rested as he woke up, not quite opening his eyes yet and rubbing his cheek onto his pillow. It was kind of hard but Jongin still burrows his face on it, slowly recalling what happened last night. With Sehun being the nicest friend, eating with Chanyeol, and the best part which was Chanyeol asking him out. Jongin chuckles, shaking his head and blushing, god, he only woke up and his mind is already gearing up to embarrass himself.  
  
A soft huff of breath made Jongin freeze, eyes snapping open, it adjusts to the muted light and his jaw drops. He's lying next to Chanyeol and not in his own bed, he panics for a few minutes before slowly detaching himself from Chanyeol's side, placing a hand over his mouth so he can't accidentally make a noise. Jongin curses himself for being too careless, he forgot to take a pill and he probably thought about Chanyeol and his apartment too much that he just ended up here.  
  
He thought he can sneak out easily until he couldn't open the door bolt, it only slides a little when he pulls a few times, Jongin tried to push it instead but to no avail. He wants to cry in embarrassment, feeling too weak all of a sudden, he sits down with his back on the door and hopes that he can find a solution to it before Chanyeol wakes up.  
  
Jongin tried to pull on it again and the results were the same so either he jumps out the window or just accept his fate. He closes his eyes and wishes to be home at the comfort of his bed, sighing. It takes a few more deep breaths before Jongin opened his eyes, jaw dropping and eyes widening because _holy_ _shit_ , he's at home. For a moment he was gonna freak out but he remembers having this helpful but still a curse teleportation thing. Jongin muttered a thanks to no one and started his daily routine which just consists of showering quickly and eating what's readily available to grab, he shoves his notebook and binder inside his bag before going out.  
  
Jongin's just sat down at the middle when he patted his jeans for his phone and found out it was not there, neither in his bag so he panics quietly again. Looking around and yet no one was paying attention to him nor half of what the professor was saying. He prays that he didn't leave it somewhere or got pickpocketed.  
  
He hurried to go where Sehun would be which is in the cafe where his crush works. Jongin saw him leaning over the claiming counter and giving heart eyes at the talking barista, he slowly made his way to Sehun and waved at the other.  
  
“Your friend?” the barista asked, smiling politely.  
  
Sehun turned around and looked surprised, “Jongin, hey. What's up? I texted you earlier if you wanted to get lunch and you didn't respond.”  
  
“Well I don't know where my phone is so can I borrow yours?” Jongin dials his number and taps the call button, “And yes to the lunch.”  
  
He only had to wait for two rings before it was picked up, Jongin felt like thanking the person excessively, “Hello, this is Kim Jongin's phone?”  
  
“Hey. You forgot your phone here, mysteriously in my bedroom.”  
  
“Oh god.” Jongin groans, it was relief and embarrassment at the same time as soon as he heard Chanyeol's voice. “I'm sorry, I'll pick it up after lunch.”  
  
“Sure thing, I'll be at home until then.”  
  
“Okay, see you.”  
  
Sehun has been smiling at him since he started to talk and looks like he wanted more details so Jongin sighed, beckoned him to follow so they can eat while he tells him what happened last night.  
  
  
  
The door to Chanyeol's apartment was slightly open when he came, Jongin forgoes knocking as soon as he hears Chanyeol near the door. He popped his head in and immediately makes eye contact with Chanyeol who beams at him, “Hey.”  
  
“Come in and close the door please. Your phone is on the coffee table.” Chanyeol continues on sweeping the floor as Jongin carefully toed his shoes off.  
  
“I thought I got pickpocketed but thanks for keeping it.” he plops down the couch and checks the unread messages that Sehun had left earlier.  
  
“No problem. Although I'm curious how it got to my room, neatly tucked under my pillow at that.”  
  
Jongin avoids Chanyeol's gaze and possibly teasing smile, “I'm not sure.”  
  
“Okay, I'll let that slip but I want to know if you thought about what we talked about yesterday?”  
  
He looks up to make eye contact but their eyes lingered for a second before Chanyeol's looking somewhere else and rubbing his nape. Jongin pushes down a smile because even if Chanyeol was the one who asked if they could go on a date, the tips of his reddening ears give him away.  
  
“I thought about it and I'm saying yes but... why?” Jongin only started having these thoughts after he ranted to Sehun, suddenly feeling all down but his friend does some good comfort by feeding him more from his bowl of ramen.  
  
“Do you really want to know?”  
  
Jongin cranes his neck up when Chanyeol stands in front of him and leans down a little, he flushes but can't break his stare because wow, Chanyeol's eyes look better closer like this. His eyes widen when Chanyeol's gaze darted to his mouth for a second then back up, Jongin leans back on the couch and clears his throat.  
  
“Maybe next time.”  
  
—  
  
Jongin let Chanyeol take reign over where their first date should be, he also couldn't stop thinking about it which is bad because he accidentally teleports himself in the place he was thinking about. It was mostly open areas (very dangerous), sometimes busy places (luckily in alleyways where no one can see), and also amusement parks that Jongin just passed by but he'd like to visit too. So while the date is still not set, Jongin tries to focus on not maybe teleport himself somewhere when Chanyeol does something adorable during their date. He wouldn't want to reveal himself like that and he doesn't think telling Chanyeol in general is going to end well.  
  
Though sometimes moving from one block to another was easy, it was not easy to stop himself from thinking about Chanyeol whether if he's at home and playing his guitar or out and about with his business. Jongin ended up in Chanyeol's apartment a few times, he felt guilty about it but sometimes lounges on the couch for a few minutes before teleporting back to his own which has always been a success.   
  
The familiar sequence of knocks resounded in his apartment, jolting Jongin out of his reverie as he debated whether to go out with a coat or a jacket. He hastily pulls on the coat and checked his pockets for his keys, wallet, and phone. Double checking everything before fumbling with the doorknob that he finally turned after two tries, slightly breathless when Chanyeol abruptly turns around with wide eyes.  
  
“You scared me.” Chanyeol huffs, smiling as he puts a hand over his chest.  
  
“You knocked on my door but haven't locked your place?”  
  
“I wanted to give you a warning.”  
  
“Your knocks sometimes sound more urgent than usual.”  
  
“It'll be softer next time.” Chanyeol grins, “Ready to go?”  
  
“Yeah.”   
  
Somewhere while walking through the crowded streets, Jongin had gripped Chanyeol's sleeve because he's getting bumped by a lot of people who don't even bother muttering a half hearted apology. He's glad that Chanyeol doesn't mention it but still felt his face flush even if Chanyeol only glanced down at him for a second then continued talking. Jongin tried to suppress how he was getting challenged by Chanyeol's skill in probably all arcade games they've done, even that piano one with four big keys that ended up with both of them having red palms that they cooled down with ice cream cups. They ended up in one of the less loud spot that overlooks the city and the crowd, it was chilly and the warmth of Chanyeol's arm against his was not helping. Though Chanyeol staring at him whenever he talks is both helping and not, his neck is warm but it makes him stumble on his words.  
  
Jongin did not once thought about wanting for the ground to swallow him, not even that time he hugged Chanyeol when they both won a prize at a booth. Maybe just a little. He starts planning in his head how they'll have their second date despite not having confirmation from Chanyeol that they should go in another, leaning against the glass and pursing his lips.  
  
“Penny for your thoughts?” Chanyeol nudges his elbow with his own, smiling.  
  
“Do you want me to be honest?” he dared to ask, his heart hammering in his chest not just because of the question but also Chanyeol's tilt of head.  
  
“Of course. If you want to.”  
  
“I'm thinking about the... second date.”  
  
Jongin bit his lip to prevent the embarrassing noise he might make but the look on Chanyeol's face was something to remember, shy smile and cheeks lifting up cutely. He finally releases the breath he was holding, “Was that too much?”  
  
“No, no. You just surprised me again.” Chanyeol seemed flustered but determined to keep the eye contact, “These days, you just seem more confident and it's a bit of a shift from when I first talked to you. It's cute.”  
  
“And to me, you're still you but somehow happier...?”  
  
“Because of you.”  
  
Chanyeol said it in a too sleazy way that made Jongin choke on his spit and starts laughing, hitting Chanyeol's arm twice before leaning back. They spent the next few hours talking quietly like the other couples scattered around them, Jongin didn't feel that they need to hurry and Chanyeol's seemed to be okay with it.  
  
Things may not be so hard especially with Chanyeol now in his life, the promises of more dates are still on the table, and there's still time for Jongin to figure out himself.

**Author's Note:**

> a sequel is possible but unlikely to get done asap though i'd really love to continue this if i find time ;n;
> 
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/paltnsepper)


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